The final installment of our three-part series on the Lincoln School for Colored Children (Lincoln School) will feature two local residents, Shannon Sullivan Hudson and Vicke Hudson Swisher, who received a grant to conduct research and write a book about the Lincoln School.
The authors will speak about various Lincoln School alumni at the July meeting of the Genealogy Club of Montgomery County. The meeting will take place 7-8 p.m. July 9 in the Donnelly Room at the Crawfordsville District Public Library. The public is invited to attend this free event and membership in the Genealogy Club is not required.
Although many others will be included, the following is just a taste of two fascinating Lincoln School alumni who will be discussed: Blanche Marie Patterson (1884-1965) and Andrew Joseph Robinson (1923-2018).
An accomplished musician at a young age, Blanche Patterson completed primary studies at the Lincoln School and went on to graduate from Central High School in June 1902. She then attended Wilberforce University, founded in Ohio in 1856, the nation’s first Colored-owned and operated university. Blanche came full circle when she returned to Crawfordsville to teach music at the Lincoln School from 1911-1912. Among other things, Blanche was a successful entrepreneur, community leader, and social activist.
Andrew Robinson was born in Crawfordsville in 1923 and grew up during the Depression. He was very active in a wide variety of sports from childhood on. He served in World War II and returned to Crawfordsville to marry his long-time sweetheart in 1947. Andrew’s love of sports continued as he matured and he enjoyed sharing that love with local children during his 25 years of volunteer work with the Boys & Girls Club. He even went on to win multiple gold medals over his numerous years of participation in the Area Four Games for the Aged.
If you would like to learn more about the Lincoln School and alumni such as Blanche Patterson and Andrew Robinson, mark your calendars and join us for a great evening of local history. The book, “To Remember the Forgotten School” (370.9772 Sullivan), is available at CDPL for checkout and you may buy it at the Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County for $20. To make an appointment for further research about our local history, contact our Local History Specialist, Dellie Craig, at 765-362-2242, ext. 119. The library is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
Lisa Comingore is a library assistant and Dellie Craig is a local history specialist in the Adult Services Department at the Crawfordsville District Public Library.
